Explorers of Smash
by FightingThunder720
Summary: Basically, I decided to parody Explorers of Sky (with some deviations from the original story) with Super Smash Brothers. Yes, you guys can FINALLY find a piece of unique content on this part of the site. M because there will be blood. Lots of ter. Oh and swearing, drugs, and alcohol. No important pairings, any pairing will just be played for comedy and won't affect the story.
1. Chapter 1: A New Story Begins

_Hello! This is the_ gate _that leads into the world of Smash! Here, people honor combat above all. Before you enter, I'll need to know what sort of person you are in order to tell what kind if fighter you are. Are you ready?_

"Um... yes...?"

 _Then let us begin! I will ask you a set of questions. Please answer hem honestly!_

"Alright..."

 _First question. You see a kid get dragged into an alleyway by a group of men! What do you do?_

"Help them! What else would I do?"

 _Second question. Do you think that blaming something you did on someone else is sometimes necessary?_

"Of course not! That's just... that's just wrong!"

 _You have morals, unlike many. That's a good start. Now, Do you ever feel like what you do just isn't enough to make everyone happy?_

"Yes... no matter what, for every person who is happy, it seems like there's a thousand more who are sad, or angry, or just plain insane."

 _Do you believe in good and evil? In darkness and light?_

"...No. It's not as black and white as that. Every person who seems like a nice person has some motive, as does every criminal, every soldier, regardless of their side! There's all these different shades of gray, but if you overthink it, you'll go crazy from the revelations. So everyone likes to reduce it to black and white, good and evil, and pretend that's all there is. Sure, there are some people out there who are pure evil, but that's quite rare..."

 _You have said enough. Now, for the nest question. Do you prefer to live life as fast as possible, and see everything, or savor each moment you do have, taking it slowly?_

"I suppose... I would want to savor every moment with the people I love, because... eventually they won't be there anymore. Those times won't last forever."

 _That is a rather thoughtful response._ _Next. Your home is attacked by robbers! What do you do?_

"Pick up the nearest sharp object and defend myself!"

 _There are rumors at your school that the bathrooms are haunted! Do you go in there?_

"Pfft. Ghosts aren't real, and even if they were, who's to say they're evil anyway? I'd take my chances."

 _Now, for the final question. Are you a boy? Or a girl?_

"A boy."

 _Hmm. I believe I see what sort of person you are now. You are... the brave type! You're not afraid of anything! You'll take on any foe in order to advance! You don't get sick easily, either! And you'll always fight to protect your friends!_

 _However, you might sometimes rush in without thinking, and that is your weakness. If you learn to be patient, you can overcome any foe!_

 _So, a brave type like you will be... A Ranger!_

 _Final question. What is your name?_

 _"_ Ike. My name... is Ike _._

 _-?-_

 _We were in a whirlpool of darkness. I clung to my friend's arm weakly. "Don't let go!" they yelled. "I can't hold on..." I moaned. It was true-my arms were ready to give out at any second. Then, a flash of purple-black lightning struck us both. I was helpless as I fell into the sea of darkness. I struggled to get back to my friend, to rise above the waves, to do anything, really. But it was in vain. Dark tendrils began to drag me down. It felt as if my body was being stripped away from me, leaving me feeling small and weak. My consciousness was beginning to fade out, but I could've sworn I'd felt the tendrils begin to loosen their grip on me. Dark patches filled my vision as I floated upwards. The last of my strength used up, I could only wait for help as I fell unconscious._


	2. Chapter 2: I Am Not A Coward!

-Corrin-

Corrin paced around in front of the grate. Thoughts circled around and around in her head. _Do I do it? Do I not? No, I have to do it! Today is the day, and nothing is going to stop me!_ Taking a deep breath, Corrin stepped on the grate. _"_ Smasher detected! Smasher detected! _" "_ Whose footprint? Whose footprint?" "It's a human footprint! Human!""Gah!" Corrin reeled back from the grate, startled, and fell over backwards. She rubbed her head, standing back up. _Ah... maybe today's not the day after all..._ Corrin sulked away, frustrated at her own cowardice. She looked down at the shining crystal she'd brought with her. _I'd even brought my personal treasure with me..._ _But even now..! Even now I can't work up the courage to join an exploration team!_

 _-?-_

"Hahaha! D'you see what I see?" "Heh. I believe I do, if you mean that wimp over there." "Hahaha! Well, I think our new friend had something that looked... rather valuable, haha." "Heh... Do we follow her?" "We do."

-Ike-

My head hurt like hell... _Ugh.._. _Where am I?_ I looked up at my surroundings, but there was nothing that jogged my memory. My sword was just out of reach, but I couldn't move, either. I was stuck lying on my back in what I was pretty sure was sand, with my legs submerged in the water. The worst part was probably that... well, I couldn't remember a thing other than my name. I tried to call for help, but no sound would come out of my mouth. My headache started getting worse. If I could've, I probably would have screamed. Dark spots filled my vision, and I blacked out.

-Corrin-

Corrin sulked down to the beach. Maybe she could cheer herself up there. She always went to the beach whenever she felt sorry for herself. The sun was partially obscured by a cloud, but even so, the scene was beautiful. A group of Greninja were practicing using their Water Shurikens, and they exploded in the amber sunset, sending golden drops of water flying through the sky. Then the sun came out from behind the cloud, and Corrin was forced to look to the left or be blinded. But when she did look left, she saw something that was unusual, to say the least. Squinting, she saw a patch of blue on the sand. _Huh?_ Curious, Corrin walked over towards the oddity. When she could finally open her eyes fully, she was taken aback. Someone had collapsed on the sand! She'd never seen this person before. He had hair that was a shade of cobalt, and looked to be around seventeen. It didn't look like there was anything wrong with him, but he wasn't moving at all."Hey! A-Are you alright? Come on, get up!" Then the boy stirred.

-Ike-

I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing I noticed was that the pain in my head was gone, and I could move again. Then I realized there was someone standing over me. She wore a red cape that matched her crimson clothing and hair. Unsure of whether or not I could stand, I sat up. "Oh! You're awake! That's a relief!" I looked at the person, confused. "Um... What happened to you? Actually, who are you? I've never seen you around here before." It took a few seconds to process her words-my mind was still foggy, not to mention the fact that I couldn't really remember, well, anything. No, wait. There was my name. I was pretty sure my name was Ike. _Well, I guess there's no harm in telling her my name, at least. Although... how would I explain that I can't remember anything? She'd probably just think I'm lying. Then again, I don't really have any better ideas... "_ Are you trying to waste my time? _"_ "I'm...I'm not too sure on what happened..! I don't remember anything, except my name..." "Well, then tell me your name at the very least." "Fine, if you tell me your name first. Information for information." "Corrin. Now tell me your name." "Uh, my name is Ike-ack!" A heavy mass smashed into us, and I was knocked over again. Dazed, I looked up to see what looked to be an angel with black wings and a wolf standing on two legs. I blinked, thinking I was seeing things, but what I saw didn't change. In front of Corrin lay a shiny cyan crystal. The wolf snatched it up. Corrin gasped beside me."N-no! That's-" "I'll take this." "Don't..!" "Or else what?" The angel taunted. "Aren't you gonna make a move to get that back? Or are you just gonna sit there and whine about it? Heheheh!" The two ran off into a nearby cave, laughing. Corrin looked close to tears. "That was... that was my personal treasure. It meant everything to me..." I couldn't just sit idly by and watch this anymore. I picked up my sword and stood up.

-Corrin-

"Wh-Where are you going?" Corrin asked. "Into that cave. Are you coming?" "B-But those caves are supposed to be full of monsters and ruffians!" "So what? If you want you stuff back, you're gonna have to go in there." "But... I can't. I'm just a coward. A weak, hopeless, coward who will never amount to any-mpph!" The boy put a hand over her mouth. He had an angry look in his eyes. "Don't say that! You don't have to be a coward! If you don't believe in yourself, no one else ever will either! So stop waiting for someone else to do it for you, and _go!_ Let me hear it. You're not a coward!" "I'm... I'm not a coward," Corrin said, shaken by Ike's words. "Louder." Her resolve grew a little bit stronger. _I_ _f this kid, with no memories and no idea where he is, can be brave... Then I can too._ "I'm not a coward." "One more time! Let the whole world know! Howl so that everyone on the planet can hear you, with no exceptions! You are not a coward, and I don't ever want to hear you say otherwise!" Corrin gathered up all the air in her lungs, and howled to the sea, _"I! AM! NOT! A_ _COWAAAAAAARD_!" Her shout was heard for miles, and it signified the beginning of a new journey... and a new timeline.


	3. Chapter 3: I Fight For My Friends!

-Ike-

We strode into the cave, unprepared for what was to come. In fact, we nearly got lost twice before we had the good sense to make a map as we went along. Unfortunately, with all the stopping and writing we were doing, it wasn't long until we ran into someone. Several someones, actually. And it was just our luck that they wanted to kill us.

"Corrin, heads up!" I called. But we were outnumbered twenty to two. The group of wannabe pirates quickly surrounded us, slowly tightening around us like a noose. There was only one way out... up. But the only way that would work is if we were to lose enough weight to jump over the enemies' heads, and escape that way. _What is the heaviest thing I can drop at the moment? If I drop my sword, that leaves me defenseless against that angel and wolf. Wait... I don't have to actually_ drop _it..._ I hurled my sword into the air, grabbed the end of Corrin's cape, and took a leap of faith, grabbing my sword in midair. But I could tell as soon as I jumped... it wouldn't be far enough. We'd be impaled on an enemy sword. _So this is it. This is how it ends. I get impaled on a sword, and Corrin gets killed later._ But my thoughts were proven wrong. Just before I made contact with the steel blade, I was pulled up sharply. I looked behind me, to see something that seemed really odd at the time. Corrin was _flying._ She'd sprouted giant dragon wings! "And you _seriously_ didn't use this before? _Are you kidding me_?!" I growled. "I don't usually use this unless it's super important. You're lucky you got to see it at all." We landed safely on the other side. "Now let's finish this!" I swung my sword in a wide arc, tearing straight through one of our assailants. Blood got in my eyes, and I was blinded. I paused to wipe my face, and finished just in time to clash with another enemy. Corrin was fighting hand-to-hand, having knocked one enemy's weapon away. She batted at him with a wing, sending him reeling back into my range. "Now, Ike!" I raised my sword high over my head, slamming it down on him.

Now that we were free to move, we were far better off. But things were slowly going downhill for me. With this heavy sword, I couldn't keep up my running and dodging for much longer. It was getting harder and harder to move. Eventually, my face was grazed by a spear. Hot blood ran down the side of my face, into my mouth... "Pah!" I spat out the metallic-tasting liquid onto the cave floor. It wasn't long before I was struck again, this time along my shoulder. The hammer this new enemy wielded forced my sword arm out of its socket, making it completely useless. I thought I was going to die. Then Corrin whipped around and impaled the assailant on a... something. It was almost like a spear, but... it came out of her arm. _Great, another thing she wasn't telling me._ "I think that's all of them..." I gasped. Then I realized just how much I was shaking. I sank to my knees, trying to regain my composure. "Let me see your arm." She lifted my arm and did something completely unexpected. She _smashed it into the wall._ "Gyaaack!" I howled in pain as my arm slammed into the wall with a loud _pop._ "What the hell did you do?" "I was setting it straight. Believe me, it's better this way. Now you can actually use your arm." "Sure...arck..."

We were nearing the end of the cave. We could see light ahead. I was still favoring my right arm, but we'd managed to make it through without too much trouble nonetheless. We saw the silhouettes of the wolf and the angel outside. "I'll go first, and try to negotiate with them," Corrin whispered. "What do I do?" I asked. "Wait for my signal. If it comes to a full-out fight, I'll need you."

-Corrin-

Corrin strode outside. "Hey!" The wolf and the angel turned around. "Oh, finally caught up, did you? We were just discussing what to do with this precious little trinket of yours." "S-Stop! That's my personal treasure! It means everything to me!" "Treasure, you say? Oh, all the better! Heh heh heh! I bet this'll sell for a pretty penny, then!" "N-no! Don't...!" Corrin was trying not to freak out. She had to keep a cool head. She couldn't talk her way out of this... so she'd have to fight her way out! She snapped her fingers, the signal she and Ike had agreed on.

-Ike-

I heard the sharp _click_ of Corrin's snapping finger. I whirled around and charged outside. "Oh? What's this here? Your lover boy? Or some mercenary you hired to get rid of us, since you're so weak?" "Words are a waste of breath... So shut up and fight us!" I howled, angry that they had just insulted my first-and currently only-friend. "Oh, are you a drunken bar brawler who likes to fight too?" "No. What I am... is somebody who fights for his friends. So I suggest you prepare yourself for a sound thrashing!" _There's no turning back now! The only path left is forwards! So let's see what I can do in the heat of this moment!_


	4. Chapter 4: Brawl in the Family

**From now on, Corrin's POV is first-person. Eventually I'll update the older chapters to accommodate for this as well.**

I stared at the wolf. "My name is Wolf O' Donnel. Just figured you'd want to remember the name of the Lylatian who kicked your ass." "And my name... Well, they call me Dark Pit," said the angel. "And you! Are! History!" I said nothing. _Let them waste their energy talking, I have no words for them._ With that, Dark Pit charged, unsheathing two short swords. However, I managed to block both swords the first time around. But then the angel did something I hadn't expected-he flew into the air, and his swords fused into a bow, from which he shot arrows of dark energy at me and Corrin. I stumbled backwards, not noticing the cliff edge behind me. I nearly slipped. I managed to regain my balance quickly, but not before Wolf fired a bolt of energy from his blaster. It slammed full-force into my chest, sending me reeling backwards. "Gyaaaah!" I tumbled off the edge.

-Corrin-

"Ike!" I screamed. "Alright, you're gonna pay for that, you mangy dog!" I screamed, letting loose my dragon wings as I grabbed Wolf and carried him into the air. Then, I furiously hurled him down, and descended upon him with my spear-arm, stabbing his leg. Blood sprayed out, getting all over both of us. "Rrrragh!" Wolf howled in pain, crawling back on all fours. "All right, you're next, Armpit!"

-Ike-

I was hanging from the blade of my sword, which cut into my fingers and drew blood. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold on to the blade much longer-the blood on it was making it difficult to grip the sword, and holding onto the hilt would pull it out of the earth wall I clung to. _I'm so gonna get tetanus from this,_ I thought as I plunged my right hand into the dirt. I dragged out my sword, then stabbed it higher into the wall. _But it's so crazy it just might work._

-Corrin-

Even with Wolf being unable to fight, I was fighting an uphill battle. Dark Pit was far faster in the air than I was, and he had the advantage of attacking from afar with his bow. A barrage of arrows streaked down from the sky. I twisted in midair before putting on a burst of speed and tackling him to the ground. However, the angel managed to flip me with surprising strength, and left-hooked me in the chest. I was sent sprawling on my back. I spit out some blood to the left-apparently, I'd bitten the inside of my mouth-and shakily got back into a fighting stance. One of Dark Pit's arrows grazed my arm, and I hissed in pain. _Dammit!_

I felt a presence nearby-a dragon vein? _Well, Armpit, you're in for a surprise._ I couldn't help but smirk. I stepped onto the place where the power was at its strongest, and felt a cold wave of energy flow through me, mending my wounds. "Oh, you've gotta be _kidding_ me! That's not even cool!" The angel shouted angrily. "Oh, go step on a LEGO," I joked. Dark Pit said nothing, ascending into the air once more. I poised myself to dodge, expecting another barrage of arrows, but instead he drew an odd staff of sorts from his bag. Unsure of what to expect, I took a defensive stance. That was the worst idea I'd had all day. He descended back onto the ground, pointing the staff at me, and fired a laser at me. I leapt out of the way, but the beam still grazed my leg. I fell to the ground, dazed. My leg looked even worse than it felt, as I found out when I rolled over. The skin on my leg was charred black, and in several places it had cracked open and was oozing blood. There was no way in hell I was gonna stand on that leg. I scuttled away from the angel, who was aiming an arrow at my chest. I closed my eyes. _No. No! I thought I had the courage to face up to these guys... Was I just fooling myself? Was it all just a lie I told myself in my grief?_ Dark Pit fired his arrow... but it never reached me. I looked up. Ike was standing between us, and the arrow lay in two pieces on the ground, as if sliced in half. And judging from the way he was holding his sword, he probably _had_ sliced it in half. Blood dripped from several wounds on his hands, but he seemed to ignore them. He walked up to the angel, who still seemed to be stunned, and smacked him over the head with the flat of his sword.

-Ike-

"Grrr... We got roughed up, didn't we...?" Wolf groaned. Dark pit lay on the ground, unconscious. I looked at him expectantly. "Fine! Take your precious trinket!" He growled, hurling the crystal at Corrin's feet. "But just remember that your victory was a fluke! Next time, you won't be so lucky!" A flying hunk of metal descended from the sky, and the two thieves disappeared. Then the...thing...flew away. I gazed at it until it was too far away to see, before remembering Corrin's leg. "Hey, a little help here!" Corrin complained. "Oh! Right!" I lifted Corrin up from the ground, and she supported herself on my shoulder. "What happened to your hands?" Corrin asked. "I had to scale the cliff somehow, so I used the blade of my sword to stab into the stone. Problem is, it had an unfortunate effect."

-Corrin-

I stared at Ike. It was like he didn't even care that his hands were bleeding profusely! We walked on in silence, and eventually found our way out of the cave. We sat down, and I ended to my leg. "So...that crystal they stole. What's so important about it?" I looked up. He was genuinely interested in the crystal? "Well," I began, "This is a Comet Fragment. At least, that's what I call it." "Comet Fragment?" "Yeah. This area's really prone to meteor strikes, and I was lucky enough to see one up close. When I ventured into the crater, I found this. I decided to keep it as a good-luck charm of sorts, but it seems like recently I've had nothing but bad luck." "Hey, so you had a bad day. No reason to be depressed over it." "True. But I guess my luck might finally be turning around for the better."

-Ike-

"Say..." Corrin began after a few minutes of silence. I nearly jumped. "You said you don't remember anything, right? Well, do you have anywhere to go?" I hadn't thought about that. Where would I go after all this? I didn't even know where I was, much less what I'd been doing... "Well, if you don't have anything else to do, I'd like to ask you a favor. Would you... form an exploration team with me?"


	5. Chapter 5: An Unspoken Promise

-Ike-

"...What's an exploration team?" I asked. Corrin's jaw dropped. "You don't know what an exploration team is. YOU CAME ALL THE WAY TO SMASHVILLE AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT A DAMN EXPLORATION TEAM IS." "No, but I can infer that it's probably a team that explores places." "Okay, so you're not a complete idiot. In simplest terms, yeah, it's a team that explores places. But there's more to it than just that. Exploration teams also act as bounty hunters and help in law enforcement." "Like a group of vigilantes?" "Yes, like vigilantes." A drop of rain fell on my nose. We looked up-it was going to pour. I really didn't have much choice, at least for the time being. "All right, I'm in. I really don't feel like getting rained on, and you seem nice enough." "You will? Really?" Corrin looked like she might explode. "Yeah. I'll join this exploration team thing." "Thank you! I...I promise you won't regret it!" "Are...are you crying?" "...Am I? That's weird...there's nothing to be sad about..."

-Corrin-

I couldn't hold it in anymore. All of today's stress was too much. I let it all out, right then and there. I'm ashamed to admit, but I cried like a little kid that day. "Corrin! Snap out of it!" Ike pinched my arm. _Right..._ I decided right then and there. If he, a guy with no memories who'd been suddenly dragged into a bad situation, could hold strong, then I could too. I made a promise that day. _I will not cry again. Not now, not ever. I'll hold strong, and keep moving forward no matter how much it hurts. I will turn my head to the sky, so my tears will never fall._ I dried my tears on my sleeve. _That's right...I don't need to cry anymore!_

 _-_ Ike-

I looked back at the sunset. A reddish blur made its way across the sky, just close enough for me to see that it was a living creature of some sort. "What in the world is that?" I asked. Corrin gasped. "That's... that's a Latias!" she exclaimed. "They're supposed to be incredibly rare, and they say seeing one brings you good luck!" "Good luck, huh? I guess I could use some of that. Thanks, Latias." A red feather fell to the ground. I picked it up, rolling it between my fingers. Something about that feather filled me with energy. And a wish. A wish to fly. _One day... One day I'll fly too. One day, I'll build my own wings. and I'll fly away like Corrin can... like you can, Latias. I'll leave the ground behind, and be part of the wind! And I'll break through every barrier in my way at the speed of light!_


	6. Chapter 6: The Hunt for a Dragon

The rain was falling heavily as we struggled our way up the bluff. I feared falling into the mud-my hand was still bleeding heavily, and I didn't want it to get infected if it wasn't already. Corrin, despite being a fast healer, was still limping a bit on her right leg. Thunder crackled in the distance. A huge, yellow tent stood before us. "So this is Dedede's Guild?" I asked. "The one any only. They say Dedede's supposed to be some sort of exploring prodigy, and his guild is renowned all around the world. Lots of other famous explorers trained here when they were younger." Between us and eventual fame and glory stood one obstacle-a mysterious grate in front of the tent. It looked a bit unstable. I crouched over the grate. "Hey, anybody down there?"

"Intruder detected! Intruder detected!" "Whose footprint? Whose footprint?" "The footprint is...er... probably human! Probably human!" "Probably?!" The second voice and I yelled in unison. "Is that an insult?" I protested. "Maaaaaybeee..." the first voice joked. "But seriously, your feet are huge."

-Corrin-

"Can we just get the hell out of this rain? We're freezing out here!" I yelled. "Fine! But first, step on the grate!" I sighed, stepping on the grate. "Okay, yeah, you're human too. Come on in, we'll open up the gate. The huge iron gate in front of us opened up, and we stepped inside.

-Ike-

We stood in a huge tent. In the center was a large hole, with a ladder. "I guess we climb down here or something..." Corrin mumbled. "Thank you, Captain Obvious," I joked, getting a punch in the arm as a response. We descended down the ladder. What we saw next was breathtaking. The whole guild was built underground! "Hello there, are you visitors?" A voice from behind startled me, and I whipped around, sword ready, to see a young man with white hair looking at us with an amused expression. "No, we're here to sign up as apprentices." "Oh, really? Well then, follow me! I'll take you to his quarters.

I nearly laughed when I saw Dedede's face. He was a giant penguin! "Well hello there, you two! Robin's told me that you're the new apprentices in the guild. We're glad to-WHAT IN SAM HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR, BOY?" He yelled, staring at me. "What?!" "Yes, you! Your hair! It's all blue and spiky! What did you do to yourself?! Now, that weird prince I can understand, he's probably got hair dye, but you're just some random guy from who-knows-where! How're you affording hair dye?!" I was baffled. Wasn't blue hair normal? "What do you mean? It always looks like this... That's normal, right?" Dedede wasn't taking me seriously now. "Oh, yeah, real normal, Blue Boy. Who are you? Mob? Bored merchant? Come on, tell me, Blue Boy!" "I DON'T KNOW! AND NEVER CALL ME THAT AGAIN!" I yelled in frustration. "Don't know? What in Sam hell's that supposed to mean?" Then I realized my mistake. If the Guildmaster knew about my amnesia, my situation would only go downhill. I had to cover for my blunder. "Well, what I meant is, uh, I don't know what I want to do yet. I, uh, come from a foreign country, and I came here to find myself. It's like one of those spiritual journey things." "Oh, I see. So is blue hair normal where you come from?" "Er...yes! Yes, that's exactly right!" I realized I'd been holding in breath this whole time, and finally exhaled. "So what're your names?" Dedede asked. "Well," Corrin began, "I'm Corrin, and my foreign friend here is Ike." "All right then. I'll sign you up as a team. Oh, that reminds me, you'll need a name for your team."

 _A name?! We never thought of that!_ I had to buy us time. "Wait, maybe we should, uh, think it over for a bit!" I exclaimed. Dedede scratched his chin. "Well, I s'pose your team name is a very important decision. Alrighty, then. You two'll have until tomorrow night to think up a name. For now, you'll go unnamed. You're dismissed!" We left the room, shaking.

-Corrin-

"Oh, man, what are we gonna do? We only have a day to think of a name, Ike!" "We'll find something, I'm sure." Ike was acting cool, but I could tell he was just as freaked out by Dedede as I was. "For now, let's, er, get dinner or something.

As I was eating, I noticed a door in the wall. There was something... off... about it. I leaned over to the guy sitting next to me, whose name I was pretty sure was Mario. "Hey, uh, Mario, right? What's behind that door over there?" "Oh, that? That's the janitor's closet. Why?" "...Just wondering." Even with Mario's reassurance, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong with that closet.

-Ike-

I woke up in the middle of the night to a rustling sound. Groaning, I sat up in bed. There was something wrong here...but I couldn't put my finger on it. "Hey, Corrin? What was that sound...?" No response came. That was when it hit me. The bed on the other side of the room was empty-Corrin was gone. "Corrin?" I whispered, quietly opening the door to our room. "Corrin?! Where are you?" "Corrin!" It was then that I noticed a faint glow coming from the mess hall. I snuck in as quietly as possible. The glow came from a large door in the hall. The door was roughly cut and looked ancient. Was this where Corrin went? I slowly pushed open the door, flinching as it creaked. "Hmm?" I heard a voice-Robin, from the sound of it. "Who's there?" I'd heard from a guy called Fox that if you were caught up late, you'd punished. Panicking, I slipped through the door.

I immediately regretted that decision. Glowing purple crystals adorned the walls, and a heavy metallic clanking reverberated across the cave-like corridor I'd entered, and it was drawing closer. I hid behind a stalagmite, wishing I'd brought my sword. My bare hands wouldn't stand a chance against whatever was making that noise. With no armor or weapons, I was defenseless. And that thing was most definitely not. I tried to make myself less noticeable, staying in the shadows and moving slowly. Eventually, I got a glimpse of the creature. It stood over six feet tall, and was covered head to toe with heavy armor. It wore a green visor, and looked humanoid. Its right arm was a cannon, though. I pressed myself even harder against the stalagmite. It looked around at the walls, before it's gaze came to rest on the stalagmite I was hiding behind. Then it looked away and kept walking. I sighed with relief. It was gone. I continued on all fours, staying behind cover wherever I could. Eventually, a bright cyan light came into view. I was blinded by the light for a while, but eventually my eyes adjusted to the light. What I saw was incredible-a whole cave made of glowing can crystals. I stepped into the light-that was my mistake. I heard a clanking sound just behind me.

"Ah!" I yelled as an icy metal hand lifted me into the air by the back of my shirt as if I were light as a feather. Its cannon arm was pointed at my back. I struggled to break free, but try as I might, the creature's metallic arms refused to budge. Then the creature set me down and covered my mouth with its hand. "Mmmh!" I protested. Then the creature removed its mask.

-Corrin-

I had just left the bathroom and was heading back to my room when I heard a loud clanking sound coming from the mess hall. Curiously, I stepped into the mess hall. The clanking came from behind the weird door I'd seen earlier. It was already open. I slipped through the door, the find a cave full of glowing crystals. I looked at the walls in awe, before continuing to walk. Then an eerie cyan light came into view, and I broke into a sprint. As I drew closer, I heard two voices whispering. "Will you quiet down? If you keep talking, the Metroids are going to find us!" "What the hell is a Metroid?!" "If you keep struggling, you're gonna find out real soon!" Finally the two people came into view. A tall blond woman in heavy armor I'd never seen before and a very scared Ike were sitting in a room full of glowing blue crystals."What the heck is going on here?" I asked loudly. "Corrin, be quiet!" Ike whispered. "Okay, fine," I said, lowering my voice as I crouched down next to them. "Corrin, I thought something happened to you!" "Uh, no, although I appreciate your consideration. I was just in the bathroom. "Well..uh..." Despite his attempts to hide it, I could see his face was red with embarrassment.

"I'll stop terrorizing you now. Who are you?" I asked the armored lady. "The name's Samus, Samus Aran. I'm a bounty hunter." "A bounty hunter? Like a person who hunts down people for money?" "You seem to think that we bounty hunters don't have standards. For starters, I don't kill innocent people." "Alright, we don't need your whole life story." Then I heard a screech. "What was that?" I asked. "That, my ally, is a Metroid." "What do we do?" "Watch and learn." She fired a beam of ice into the darkness. "The cold is deadly to Metroids. Ice, cold water, even being in a cold room can kill them. They're deadly, but not infallible." "You said...cold water?" "Yeah. What about it?" "I may be able to help you with your predicament." Screeches came from the left and right. With my dragon arm, I fired a blast of freezing water at the creature that emerged. It had three eyes, and was covered in some sort of sticky membrane. On the bottom of its body, three fangs protruded out from its body. "What are you?" Samus asked. "Are you even human?!" "Well, of course! I'm just part dragon." "Part... WHAT?" "...Never mind..." I sighed. Why did everyone act surprised when I said that? As a bounty hunter, Samus had probably seen some weird things. "What are you two doing down here, anyways?" Samus asked as we walked through the darkness. "We're explorers in training at this guild." was Ike's blunt response. "Why are you here?" "I was hired to exterminate the Metroids in these caves." "If they aren't controlled, they could destroy the entire city. "That bad, huh... Say, how about we help you out?" "You? I mean, Corrin has her water... whatever... but you don't even have a weapon! What are you going to do?" "I mean, after I go get my stuff..." Ike sulked off. "I'm sure tthat's what you meant, Blue Boy." "DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

-Ike-

I broke into a sprint, not stopping until I reached the door. Then I slipped out of the door. I tiptoed to our room, and picked up my sword. It was then that I heard a shriek. I had no time to waste on sneaking anymore. I bolted through the door, slamming it shut with a loud bang, and rushed into the darkness, rushing past screeching Metroids. Finally, I burst into a large room, where the biggest, ugliest dragon I had ever seen awaited. "Holy..."

-Samus-

"Corrin!" I yelled. I couldn't drag anyone else into this fight. "Ridley!" I yelled. "Let her go so we can have an honorable fight!" "Honor? HONOR?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You think I care about honor anymore? All I want is to crush you like the insect you are!" "Fine, then. Bring it on, Ridley! I won't let you abuse the DNA of the Metroids any longer!" "Big words for a little girl, Aran."

-Ike-

Samus was engaged in sort of standoff with the dragon. "Samus!" I shouted. She turned around. "Get out of here!" Something was horrifyingly familiar about this situation. I felt like if I stood here and did nothing, something would go horribly wrong. So instead of leaving, I stepped forward. "No! I'm not just going to sit on my ass and watch you two get torn to confetti! I am going to fight! "Ha! A little boy with a sword, out to slay the dragon. How adorable. Too bad it's all in vain!" The dragon flew into the sky, blasting fire at us. I jumped out of the way, landing on my back. "Samus!" I shouted. But she walked back out of the flames, mostly unscathed. Her helmet was back on, and she was charging a laser in her arm cannon. The cannon blasted out a blast of golden energy, and it slammed into the dragon. It fell out of the sky, and I took the opportunity to take a slash at its left leg. My sword left a large gash in the dragon's thigh, but then the dragon picked me up and threw me against the wall. "Gyah!" I slid to the floor, immobilized. Stunned, I couldn't do a thing to protect myself from the dragon. Even so, I could see him limping. He rose a claw to tear open my chest-

-but nothing happened. I opened my eyes. The dragon's legs were frozen solid, and Samus had dragged me to the corner of the room. I spit out some blood-I'd bitten the inside of my mouth. I could feel the paralysis wearing off. With some effort, I sat up. Samus was feinting and dodging the dragon's fire blasts and claw swipes. The dragon had dropped Corrin, who wasn't moving. I limped over to her. She was fine. I sighed with relief. Then an explosion rocked the room. Shards of ice flew outwards-the dragon had broken free. I felt daggers of ice pierce through my arm. "Ah..." Corrin opened her eyes. "Ike...Do something..."

-Samus-

Ridley had me in his claws. He flew up and slammed me into the wall, again and again. Black streaks wracked my vision. Then he stopped, looking at his footand laughing at something. I followed his gaze. Ike was trying to attack Ridley's foot, but couldn't even break the skin. "Don't attack him there! You have to attack him somewhere where his skin is softer!"

-Ike-

"You have to attack him somewhere where his skin is softer!" Samus yelled. So the dragon was male... oh, whatever. That didn't matter. I jumped up and stuck my sword into his tail. The dragon thrashed his tail, trying to shake me off. I clung to my sword for dear life as the dragon rose into the air. I hooked my hand into one of the ridges on his back, before dragging my sword out of the dragon's tail. I stabbed it into its wing, trying to bring it down. Unfortunately, it worked. The three of us fell to the ground. Luckily, the dragon cushioned my fall somewhat. Samus aimed her arm cannon at the dragon's head. But before she could fire, the dragon's tail swept across the floor of the cave, knocking us over. The dragon towered over us. He lifted his foot to crush me. "You will remember the name of Ridley in the afterlife, Blue Boy! Any last words?" "Don't...call...me...BLUE BOY!" I shouted, rolling out of the way as Corrin fired a torrent of scalding hot water at Ridley. He screamed in pain, blinded by the water in his eyes. "Samus, now!" Samus leveled her arm cannon at the blinded dragon's head, and fired. Ridley fell to the ground, dead. I sank to my knees. Now that the fight was over, I couldn't stop shaking. "Come on, Ike. We're done here. Let's get outta this place." "Y-yeah..." I said before falling over.


	7. Chapter 7: Who Needs Social Skills?

**Hey guys, I hope you liked the last part. I made it super long to make up for not having written in FOREVER. Anyways, yeah. Here's the scoop. My computer isn't working, so I have to fight my phone's autocorrect. So yeah, that's why I took forever on that.**

I woke up in a room I didn't recognize. _What happened...?_ Then it came back to me-waking up on the beach, meeting Corrin, retrieving the Comet Fragment, signing up at the guild, and the fight with Ridley. I tried to sit up, but was immediately greeted by sharp pains in my back where the ice shards had embedded themselves in my back. Even so, it was nowhere near as bad as before-they'd melted, and the wounds were bandaged. I heard a yawn from across the room. "Morning..." Corrin muttered. "By the way, you're a lot lighter than you look..." she teased. "Wait, what? What's that supposed to mean?!" "Hey! Samus and I had to drag your inconsiderate ass all the way back here, sneak into the medical closet, and patch up your wounds, all without getting caught by Robin! The LEAST you could do is show some respect!" I sighed. I might as well just get straight to the point. "How long was I out for?" "Not long. It's only, uh..." Corrin looked at the clock. "10 in the morning." "Ten in the morning?! That means...Corrin, we're late! We gotta get up and ready!"

4 minutes later, we stepped-well, rushed-into the main room. I was wearing a waistcoat to conceal my wounds. "Hey! You two are late!" A guy whose name I was pretty sure was Fox called us out. "Sorry..." I mumbled. The entire guild laughed, as if this was somehow hilarious. "What?!" Fox was stifling a chuckle. "It's just...every last one of us woke up late on our first day here! It's practically a rite of passage!" Fox couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. Then Robin walked into the room with his annoyingly confident stride. "Silence, everyone!" "First off, our morning motto!" Unsure of what to do, I stood towards the back of the room, trying to make myself invisible. Corrin was doing the same. "Next, I would like to introduce to you our newest guild recruits. Please welcome our newest members, Ike and Corrin!" The guild members clapped in a good-natured manner. Even so, my face was red as I awkwardly stood there with Robin holding my arm up. "So, will you two tell is a bit about yourselves?" "Well," Corrin began, "My name is Corrin, and I'm from Nohr. I've settled down here to join the guild and become an official explorer." Corrin nudged me. "Go on," she whispered. "Uh...I'm, uh, Ike. I...travel. And stuff. I just, uh, decided to...tag along...?" The crowd of guild members was silent for a few seconds before bursting into laughter once again. At this point I wanted to crawl into a dark corner where no one could find me and never come out again. Robin didn't seem to notice my unease-or if he did, he didn't care. "Go on, share a bit more about yourself." "Th-that's all I have to say, though..." "Oh, you're such a bore." I hadn't been prepared for this. If I had, I might've thought up a story. But I didn't, and now I was making a fool of myself in public!

-Corrin-

I laughed silently at the sight of my friend getting so flustered-he was literally giving me the 'please kill me now' stare. "If that's all you have to say, then I will escort you two to the Guildmaster. He would like to have a word with you two." A bead of sweat rolled down my face. Had we been caught?

I walked into the room nervously. I'd heard of the Guildmaster's wrath before. Supposedly he had one hell of a temper and threw heavy objects in his rage. I didn't want to see the Guildmaster angry.

When we entered the room, Dedede was talking to someone. "Hello, Corrin, Ike," Dedede began, turning around, "I believe you two deserve praise for your deeds last night." Dedede knew all along?! "Your battle with Ridley showed me all I needed to know. You see, that dragon was attempting to sell those Metroids to me. However, at the last minute, I refused and he attacked me out of the blue and released them down there, where he hid for quite some time. I sent out scouts, but they all came back empty-handed. So when I learned he was underneath the guild the whole time, I hired the person with the most experience with Metroids, a bounty hunter by the name of Samus Aran. She accepted the job, but we lost contact with her afterwards. We presumed her to be dead, so you can imagine our surprise when we walked right into my room and said the task was finished! She said you two had come down there and helped her out. So I wanted to congratulate you two on your display of bravery. And while you two're still here... have you thought of a name for yourselves?"

Oh, shit... We'd been so busy hunting Metroids that I'd totally forgotten! I searched frantically for an answer. _Let's see... Uh, so we fought off some thieves yesterday... but Vigilantes sounds too generic. Hunters might work. Yeah, I'll go with Hunters._ "Uh, we, uh, decided on the Hunters." "Yeah! Hunters!" Ike joined in, looked just as panicked as I probably did. _Sheesh. Talk about "bad under pressure."_ "Well, if that's the case, then we will register you as soon as possible. Oh, and you'll need these!" Dedede set down a large box in front of us. "Go on, open it up!" I cringed. Why was he always so loud? Inside the box was a bag, and two badges. "Those are your official Explorer's Badges and Exploration Satchel. Inside, I've given each of you a little something." I undid the straps on the bag, to find two scarves inside. "And these are...?" Ike asked. "Those are Aura Ribbons. The fabric radiates pure Aura." "Meaning?" "In layman's terms, it strengthens your life force. You can lift heavier things, run farther, the whole deal." I handed over one of the ribbons to Ike, who tied it around his forehead. Well, at least his hair wouldn't be everywhere now. I tied mine around my neck like a choker. "You two look pretty snazzy in those. You are dismissed, Hunters."

-Ike-

I hated social situations. I was just no good at talking! Maybe I should just leave that to Corrin. "Hey!" Robin's voice snapped me out of my musings. "We've got work for you two!" "Work?" "What, you thought you were off the hook? No! You're going to work just as hard as everyone else. Now, follow me. We were led upstairs, to a large billboard. "Uh... what is this?" I asked, scratching my scalp. I'd been really itchy all day. "Well, this right here is the Request Board. I know, pretty uncreative name, but at least it makes sense. Anyways, people from all over send requests for help to this board. Then, the exploration teams at the guild complete these jobs and reap the rewards. That's how the guild collects money. So anyways, we'll start you off with... this one." He handed the note to me.

 _Hello, exploration team! I have sent this request here in hopes that you would answer my plea. My name is Luigi. Recently, I lost my vacuum in the Lonely Forest! Don't ask why I was in a forest with a vacuum. The point is, I lost it. I think I was near the center of the forest at the time, and I would greatly appreciate it if you could find it._

I burned at the thought of this. We were an exploration team...and we were being sent to find someone's VACUUM CLEANER?! Who the hell even brings a vacuum into a forest? This had to be a joke...But looking into Robin's eyes, I could tell he was serious. I groaned, handing the note to Corrin. She looked like she was holding back laughter. I held back my frustration, swallowed, and began. "We... accept this request...?" Corrin couldn't hold it in anymore, and erupted into laughter. I sat down in front of the wall, not amused at all. "All right, Ike, let's go." Corrin dragged me by the arm out of the guild hall. "Wait, where are we going?!" "To the crossroads. There's a path to just about everywhere there!" "H-Hey! Slow down already!" I could tell this was going to be an exhausting day.


	8. Chapter 8: An Ab-Gnomal Situation

"This is the Lonely Forest, Ike. It's known as the one of the safest mystery dungeons," Corrin explained. "Mystery dungeon?" "Yeah. Mystery dungeons are these really weird places that tend to appear around important landmarks. Their layout changes every day, so they're impossible to map out. The only thing that doesn't change is the final floor of the dungeon." "Floors?" "Yeah, no one's really sure why, but there are usually giant sinkholes or mountains there." I pondered this for a second. _A place that changes every time you enter?_ _Now I've seen everything._ How could that be possible? "Where do mystery dungeons come from?" "Well, there's two theories as to where the mystery dungeons come from. The first one is that they're created as time gets more and more out of whack." _Time is getting messed up? Seriously, where the hell are we? "_ The second one...is gnomes!" "Gnomes?! _"_ I was baffled. "Hey, don't doubt the power of gnomes. The may be small, but they make up for it in numbers!" "I'm...just gonna go with the time-getting-screwed-up thing." We walked on in silence. I had a strange feeling of intense loneliness. "Corrin, there's no such thing as gnomes...Hey, uh... Corrin?" I turned around, before realizing Corrin wasn't there. "Corrin, this is NOT funny." I walked forward into a room. Inside was... a set of stairs. "Corrin, are you in there?" _Maybe she took the stairs...?_ I took a step forwards...

And immediately ended up hanging by my leg in a snare. "You've gotta be KIDDING me!" I yelled, frustrated.

-Corrin-

"Ike...?" He'd just disappeared while I wasn't looking...had he found the vacuum? _No, we're nowhere near far enough into the forest!_ Something fishy was going on here. Up ahead, I saw a clearing. M _aybe he's up there!_ I hurried into the clearing. In the center of the clearing was a strange blue creature. Before I had time to process what I'd seen, it disappeared in a flash of blue. "Wait!" I called out, but to no avail. _What the hell did I just witness...?_

-Ike-

"Dammit..." I folded my arms. It turns out that there really isn't much to do while handing upside down. I noticed some movement on top of a higher branch. "Hey! You! Up there! Can you, like, get me down from here or something!?" I was answered by the most ridiculous chorus of laughter I had ever heard. "Nyehehe! NYEHEHEHEHEHE!" A group of tiny people, maybe six inches tall each, jumped down from the top of the tree. "Repent! Repent!" they all chanted. I was baffled. "Repent?! For what?" "How dare you not understand the weight of your crimes!" The tallest one (their leader?) yelled. "How dare you doubt our existence! Behold! We are the Great Gnome Empire, builders of the mystery dungeons! Surrender now and repent, or prepare to die!" "Pardon my French, but what the actual f**k is going on here?" "How dare you swear in front of the Great Gnome Emperor! Kill him!" _Okay,_ now _I've seen everything._

-Corrin-

I heard a high-pitched laugh coming from a nearby clearing. "Huh?" I crouched inside of a bush. What if it was a crazy psycho murderer!? Or a crazy psycho CAT?! That would even worse than a crazy psycho murderer! Peering through the leaves, I saw the last thing I had expected. Gnomes! Ike was under attack by gnomes! I burst out of the bush, yodeling my battle cry. "Emperor, there's another one!" One of the gnomes yelled. "Wait!" The tallest gnome yelled. "What?!" "We will release your comrade... if you two can beat us in a RAP BATTLE!" The tallest gnome yelled. "RAP BATTLE!" The others echoed.


	9. Chapter 9: I Bet You Didn't Expect This

**DOODLY-DOODLY-DOOO, TIMESKIP EX MACHINA BECAUSE A RAP BATTLE SOUNDS STUPID AS WORDS ON A PAGE!**

-20 Minutes of Corrin's Terrible Rapping Later-

Hanging upside-down is rather boring, and as such, my mind inevitably began to ponder such questions as, _Why are we here? Why am_ I _here? Is there some higher force acting upon us?_ And, of course, _What the hell am I doing with my life?_ I mean, my entire life _was,_ to my knowledge, completely ridiculous, but still, two completely incompetent rappers were below me stuttering out terrible rhymes that were almost painful to listen to. It doesn't get much stupider than that. "Hey." "What?" I snarled at the blue hedgehog staring down at me. _Oh, joy, my situation just got stupider._ "Well, for the low, low price of thirty dollars, I can get you down from there." "Thank the powers that be for ridiculous plot devices. Wait, what are you-" "Hope you're ready for a hard fall," he stated, stomping on the branch.

-Corrin-

"I rolled a six, so... let's check the cards... I fall onto a conveniently placed pile of leaves! Sweet!" "All-a right," Mario, the GM, stated. "Corrin, what's your roll?" "A seven. I win and...immediately get attacked by vicious gnomes. Luckily, their combat stats aren't too great, so all we have to do is roll a two or higher...Ike, roll." "Oh, no..." Ike sighed, looking dismayed. "What?" "We beat the gnomes, but now gnome-worshipping indigenous people are trying to kill us. "Should we run?" "Definitely." "You a-run, and eventually you-a come across a clearing." "What's so interesting about the clearing?" I sighed. "Well-a, the vacuum is in there," Luigi stated. "Finally, my suffering is over," Ike whined, and not without reason-we'd been role-playing for nigh on 7 hours! I let my face hit the table. "No amount of money is worth this," I moaned. Mario and Luigi had challenged us to a "roleplay adventure," a mock exploration in the form of their own dice-rolling RPG. It was exhausting in the way that it sucked the life out of you like a leech. "Here's your-a one thousand gold. You've-a earned it." I didn't even look up at the pile of money-I was beat.

-Ike-

Dedede's heavy footsteps rang through the hall. _Goddesses help me..._ "Hey there, Mario, Luigi, Dragon Lady, blue guy-" _"Stop calling me that,"_ I cut in. "Er, yeah, what's going on here? None of you are working." "This is fifty times worse than work," Corrin muttered. "You do not insult your own profession!" Robin yelled, hitting her over the head with a copy of _The Epic Of Gilgamesh._ "Why me...?" "Because Robin got bored of berating me," I muttered. We skulked back to our bedroom. "So, you wanna do anything?" I asked. "Binge-watch Rurouni Kenshin again?" "Yeah, I'll go get the instant noodles," I mumbled as Corrin turned on the TV.


End file.
